Life-preserving guard for cars



' (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheetl.

AIKNOBL AUOH; LIFE PRE SERVING. GUARD FDR CARS- No. 508,888. Patented NOV. 14, 1893.

ms NATIONAL LITHDGRAPNINE COMPANY.

WASNINGTON. 04 c.

2 sheets-sham.

.(No Model.)

A. KNOBLAUOH. LIFE P-RESERVING GUARD FOR CARS.

No. 508,888. Patented Nov. 14, 1893.

8 [WWW with/ease;

' UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

ANTON KNOBLAUGH, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

LlFE-PRESERVING GUARD FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 508,888, dated November 14, 1893.

Application filed March 20, 1898- Serial No. 466,933. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTON KNOBLAUOH, of

thecity of Minneapolis, county of Hennepin,

State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam, Electric, and Cable Car Life-Preserving Guards, of which the following is a specification.

. My invention relates to means for guarding pedestrians fromsevere blows from rapidly moving engines, or electric or cable cars; and the object which I have in view is to provide a padded or spring guard or catcher upon which a person in front of a moving car or engine may step or be thrown without bodily injury. A further object is to provide a safety guard upon which the person will be held until the car is stopped.

' My invention consists in general in the constructions and combinations hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims and will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows the front end of a street or other car provided with a life guard embodying my invention. Fig.2 is an enlarged front view of the guard detached, a portion of the flexible front being broken away to show the interior construction. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line a:.'n of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a modified form of flexible front. Fig. 5 shows my invention applied to a locomotive.

In the drawings, 2 represents a cable or electric car, upon the front platform 3 and the dash-board 4 of which I secure my life guard. The guard consists in an angular frame composed of a back board 5 and a bracket or foot-board 6, arranged at substantially right angles to one another and firmly secured by tie rods 7. In the back of the board 5 I preferably make an opening 8 to receive the bumper 9 upon the car. The device is suspended upon the bumper and held upright in any desired manner, as by means of hooks 10 extending up over the rail of the dash-board. The guard is preferably made removable so that it may be placed on either end of the car, according to the direction in which it is running. Across the top .of the board or part 5 of the frame I arrange a cross- This facing is supported at the corner by a series of transverse springs 17 arranged beneath the same, and is further supported by longitudinal and upright springs 18 which extend from the bar 12 up to the bar 11 and are secured thereto. These springs are of sufficient strengthto prevent the sudden yielding of the facings, but are not so strong as to throw a person off of the guard when picked up thereby.

I preferably employ rubber for the facings and corrugate or rib the surface thereof to form an adhesive surface which will prevent a person from slipping off of the guard.

In place of using cloth or rubber I may employ a spring wire fabric 19, as shown in Fig. 4, in which case it is necessary to extend a rope or cord 20 across the angle of the fabric to hold the same down. Where the wire fabric is employed the interior .springs may be dispensed with, as the spring of the wire in itself is sufficient. When a person "is struck by the car and falls upon the guard the springs will yield sufficiently to bag the fabric considerable, and thereby prevent the body from rolling out either in front or at the sides, in which case they might fall beneath the wheels of the car.

It is obvious that I may extend the guard to the top of the dash-board if desired or otherwise alter the character of the cushion portion, without departing from the spirit of my invention. I do not, therefore, confine myself to the exact construction shown and described.

Where my life guard is employed on railroads I prefer to attach the same upon the front of the pilot of the locomotive, spreading the guard across the full width of the rails to avoid the possibility of a person rolling beneath the wheels of the locomotive, or being struck by the axle boxes of the car in such a case.

The guard is attached by tie bars and braces connected with the parts of the pilot, the corner of the guard frame resting upon the end thereof, or if desired the pilot may be removed and my life preserving guards substituted in its place.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination with a car, or engine of a life guard removably secured to the end thereof, said guard consisting of an upright portion and a lower and outwardly projecting portion, springs extending longitudinally and transversely between the ends of said parts, and a flexible facing covering said springs and having a corrugated surface, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the frame composed of the upright part 5, and the horizontal and lower part 6, with the braces there for, the pads arranged upon the upper and outer edges of the vertical and horizontal parts, and an elastic corrugated rubber facing arranged upon said frame and conforming substantially to the shape thereof, and springs for supporting said facing, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of March, 1893.

ANTON KNOBLAUCI-L,

In presence of- A. 0. PAUL, F. S. LYON. 

